


Renaissance Faire

by bluesyone



Category: Onward (2020)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:41:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26945338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluesyone/pseuds/bluesyone
Summary: Ian and Barley take their little sister Judy to her first renaissance fair.  While there, Barley helps Ian figure some things out about himself.
Kudos: 2





	Renaissance Faire

**Author's Note:**

> This is the second fanfic I wrote in the works of the Lightfoot brothers with their little elftaur sister Judy Lightfoot. However, this one is more focused on the brothers. I wanted to not only write one about the brothers taking their little sister to a renaissance fair, but to show that Barley could tease his brother for wearing dresses and stockings like he did in the previous fic Pretty Pretty Dresses, but can also be supportive of it.

It was a mild Saturday afternoon in autumn. Colt had to work and Laurel wanted to rest, so the Lightfoot brothers were responsible with babysitting their five year old elftaur sister Judith. Since it’s the season, and it just opened this weekend, Ian and Barley decided to bring Judy along to the Renaissance Faire. The brothers have been going together since their quest, but now Judy can tag along and enjoy it with them. Barley was dressed in his adventurer outfit, Ian was wearing his normal everyday clothes and carrying his wizard staff, and Judy was dressed in her green Princess Kenna dress from Pretty Pretty Centaurs.

Even with watching a five year old and having to enjoy more of the kiddie things, the day started out great. They went to the stables to see the dragons and griffins, Judy even got to pet one. They saw blacksmiths, glassblowers, leather workers, and weavers. They got to see an actual joust, but had to leave early when one of the jousters fell off his dragon steed and Judy got scared. After a quick lunch at the food court, the trio ran into a few wandering performers, one claiming he was doing “magic” when it was really simple tricks. It was when Judy proclaimed that his big brother Ian was a wizard too that Ian sheepishly showed off a few spells of his own, really wowing the crowd with actual magic. Ian felt just as embarrassed as the pouting performer. He didn’t mean to upstage the guy, but Barley and Judy did so much encouraging that it was drawing a crowd, and it got pretty awkward.

The brothers were on their way to the arts and crafts section when Judy caught sight of something and ran into the bazaar, with Ian and Barley chasing after her. They checked a shop or two when Barley found Judy in a tent selling clothing and jewelry and called Ian over. Ian caught up to catch the little elftaur happily fawning over an adult sized princess dress so extravagant and expensive that it was displayed under glass.

“It’s so pretty! I want it!” Judy exclaimed.

“I’m afraid that’s a little out of our price range,” Barley admitted.

Judy pouted, stomping her hoof into the ground. “I want it!”

“It’s too big for you,” Ian said, hoping that truth will end her tantrum.

Judy finally realized this and her face fell. Her elf ears perked up, she looked at the dress and then back at Ian. “I bet Iandelle would look pretty in it.”

Ian’s eyes grew wide, he gripped his staff with both hands as he quickly darted around the tent, seeing if anyone he knew was in there. Just a cyclops dressed in medieval commoner clothes at the register, and he wasn’t paying much attention. It’s not like the cyclops knew Ian’s little identity anyhow, but he didn’t want anyone outside of the family to put the pieces together and realize that he spends his play time with Judy in an actual dress.

Barley could catch Ian’s fears and told Judy. “I’m sure she would, Judy. Why don’t you go to the children’s clothes over there? We’ll be over here.”

Judy trotted off to the racks of children’s costumes as Ian and Barley made their way to the men’s costume section. As they ducked between two racks, Ian gave a shaking sigh of relief.

“You know,” Barley commented in a quiet voice, “you really gotta calm down. It’s cute how you do girly stuff with Judy.”

“I don’t want people to know about that,” Ian replied back in a hushed tone.

“Who cares?” Barley shrugged.

“I do!” Ian looked over the racks, the cashier was still bored and Judy was fiddling with some play dresses. Ian pretended to leaf through some of the male costumes, and Barley followed suit. “Do you have any idea what would happen if someone found out? My social life would be over.”

“As much as I hate to admit it, Ian, it’s not the dark ages,” Barley said. “It’s modern day. Times have changed. Guys can wear dresses.”

“I have a bad enough time with some people treating my crap as it is,” Ian debated. “If word got out that I spend some time at home in dresses and stockings-“

“Ian,” Barley commented sternly. “You’re acting a little transphobic.”

Ian stammered, trying to explain what he meant by that. “I- I’m no- I mean-“ Losing focus of where he was, Ian accidentally walked into a mannequin, knocking it over, along with himself, to the ground.

That got the cyclops’s attention. “Hey!” The cyclops started storming over there. Ian panicked, grabbed a random piece of clothing off a nearby rack and covered his feet up to his calves with it. “You better not be stealing anything in here!” the cyclops snapped as he approached the two.

“I’m okay,” Ian replied sourly, realizing the cyclops was worried if they were thieves rather than if Ian was hurt.

“And watch your damn kid! I’m not a babysitter!” The cyclops turned and stormed back to his post.

“Language! She’s five!” Barley shouted back.

Ian sighed, then tensed up as he felt Barley tug the piece of clothing off his legs. “No no, I got it,” he stammered, reaching for the tunic.  
Barley completely pulled it away, revealing Ian’s lower legs. Ian was wearing his usual denim jeans and blue sneakers, but in his sitting position his pant legs pulled up a bit, revealing the white stockings underneath. They were white and plain, so they looked like socks when they completely covered Ian’s legs, but when his ankles were exposed, it was pretty obvious.

“Dude.” Barley looked up at Ian.

“I- I was out of socks,” Ian lied. Barley gave a look, he clearly knew Ian was lying. Ian sighed, crossing his arms, resting them on his knees. “I use my regular voice when I’m ‘Iandelle,’” he quietly admitted, so quiet only Barley could hear. “I don’t even like wearing the dress. But… I like the feel of the stockings… and lately I’ve been enjoying how good the lipstick looks on me, and…” Ian sighed. “… I don’t know what I am.”

Barley paused after Ian confessed to him. He placed a comforting hand on Ian’s shoulder. “Hey. You’re Ian.”

“But I don’t know who I am,” Ian repeated.

“You just told me,” Barley replied. “You’re a guy who likes some girly stuff.”

“But what if someone finds out?”

“Who cares?”

“I do!” Ian quietly shouted, frustrated with the whole situation as he rubbed his head with the heels of his palms.

Barley sat up on his heels, thinking for a moment. He then got an idea, jumped up onto his feet and walked away. Ian was left alone for a moment, wiping a frustrating tear from his eye before climbing up on his feet. He placed the mannequin back upright and brushed the dirt and grass off of its outfit, as the floor is just the ground of the field that the faire sets their tents up every year. He turned around and jumped back to see Barley inches from his face. Barley was grinning from pointy ear to ear, like he had something he couldn’t wait to show Ian. “… what?”

Barley revealed what he had behind his back. On a simple hanger was a green plaid fabric.

Ian was confused. “A skirt?”

“A kilt,” Barley explained.

“A kilt?” Ian was more confused.

“You never heard of a kilt before?” Barley asked, surprised. “Guys wear them.”

“So even though I don’t like princess dresses,” Ian replied, still confused, “you gave me a skirt.”

Barley rolled his eyes. “I’m trying to show you that guys wear ‘girly’ stuff too. In the olden days, guys would wear these. In some kingdoms, it was traditional. Soldiers would wear them. Hell, I think in one kingdom, only guys could wear them.”

Ian was eyeing the kilt again, only less oddly. “Huh.”

Barley shoved the clothing into Ian’s arm. “Just try it on.”

“How?” Ian asked.

Barley pointed behind Ian. In the corner was an area blocked off by a few sheets, with a simple marker written sign that read ‘dressing room.’

“Oh,” Ian replied.

“I’ll go check on Judy. I’ll check on you in a minute.” Barley ran off before Ian could respond.

Hesitating at first for how he was just left there so quickly, Ian stepped into the dressing room. It was a simple corner of the tent, the floor was grass, the walls were tarp or fabric. There was a scratched up wooden stool in one corner, and a full length mirror in the other. Ian closed the curtain and hung the kilt over the mirror, followed by leaning his staff against it. He kicked off his shoes, took off his jeans and placed them on the stool. He then put on the kilt. While it was made to look like it was wrapped around his waist and held up by a black leather belt, it slipped on like a skirt and had a zipper on the side. He looked in the mirror, then just stared into it as he realized his red flannel shirt clashed furiously with the green plaid kilt. Thankfully he was wearing a plain white tshirt underneath, so he took off his red shirt.

“You done in there?” Barley called out from the other side of the curtain.

Ian was checking the kilt out in the mirror. It hung down to just under his knees, and it didn’t look half bad. “Yeah.”

“Then let’s see it!” Barley said.

“Yeah!” Judy added.

Ian hesitantly slouched over. After a moment, he peeked his head out from behind the curtain. Still no one, and the cyclops wasn’t paying attention. Ian pulled the curtain away, but didn’t dare to step out of the dressing room.

“You look great!” Judy exclaimed with a big smile.

Ian grinned nervously. “R-really?”

Barley looked sideways at the white stockings. “Hold on.” Barley ran off, but was quickly back with a pair of knee high socks. Ian took them and closed the curtain. A minute later, he opened the curtain and glared at Barley. “Really?” Ian looked down at the thick white cotton socks. Each sock had a small black tassel just below Ian’s knees, sewn to the hem.

Barley rolled his eyes. “They’re men’s socks, Ian. And it’s either this or the stockings.”

“Shh!” Ian quickly looked at the cyclops, but he didn’t move, hopefully that means he didn’t hear that.

“So are we getting it?” Judy asked. “I got one too!” she added, happily holding up a pink princess play dress with ruffled rose colored sleeves.

Barley added, “I checked the price on both of them. We can afford it.”

Ian exhaled as he thought about it. “Okay.”

“Great!” Barley pulled the price tag off the kilt. “Put your shoes on. You can wear that out of the store.”

“Outside??” Ian took a double take in a panic.

“Guys wear kilts, Ian,” Barley repeated himself. “For Feldar’s sake, we walked by at least two guys wearing them today.”

Ian blinked, not remembering that he saw that. “We did?”

“Yeah.” Barley took Judy by the hand and they both went to the register to make their purchases.

While still unsure, that thought put his mind at ease. He closed the curtain, took off the socks, picked up his shirt after hiding his stockings inside them, and put on his shoes. He then met up with Barley and Judy just as they finished making their purchases.

Judy hugged Ian, clinging to his waist because of her short five year old height. “Now Princess Kenna has a guard!”

“Huh?” Ian asked, confused.

Judy explained, “Princess Kenna comes from a kingdom where her guards wear those skirts.”

“They’re called kilts, Judy,” Barley quickly explained.

“Oh, right. Kilts,” Judy corrected herself.

“And Princess Kenna likes boy stuff like dirt and archery.” Barley turned and told both Judy, as well as Ian, “If girls can like boy stuff, boys can like girl stuff.”

“I like dirt.” Judy smiled.

Barley patted Judy’s head, ruffling her brown hair. “That’s my girl.”

Ian smiled at Barley as he tucked his shirt, and the hiding stockings, into the paper bag with Judy’s newly bought play dress. Barley and Judy left the clothing tent, with Ian close behind them, as if trying to hide behind them. With each step through the bazaar, Ian was growing more nervous. But, with each step away from the bazaar, on their way to arts and crafts, Ian grew a little more collected. It was a strange feeling, walking through the fairgrounds, feeling the air on his powder blue legs, but the thick fabric of the kilt constantly reminding him he’s basically in a skirt. And yet barely anyone seemed to notice or care. One or two people would look up at Ian, but then quickly look back down. A voice in his head was claiming they were judging Ian, they may be even making fun of him when he’s not looking. But, he knew better that they paid no mind to Ian. To them, Ian was just another person who dressed up for the faire.

The arts and crafts section was pretty fun, though messy cause of all the kids playing with glue, glitter, construction paper and other messy items. Judy didn’t mind getting dirty, which led to Barley having to clean her off with a wet wipe before they left the area. Before they did, Judy made a few drawings, and even had a surprise for Ian and Barley.

“Kneel, good sirs,” Judy proclaimed, instantly playing make believe as Princess Kenna.

“I can only kneel so far in this thing,” Ian chuckled as he bent forward with his hands holding down his kilt, Barley kneeling like a noble knight.

Judy then placed a daisy crown on each of her big brother’s heads. The crowns were made of paper and pipe cleaners, but they were flowers all right.

“Thank you, fair Kenna,” Barley played along as he rose to his feet, Ian chuckling as he rose to his. Ian adjusted his crown nervously, but not so awkward about it when Barley was wearing one, and Judy placing her own daisy crown on her head.

After listening to a few tales of yore from some story telling entertainers, the three decided to call it a night. The brothers made it to the van before Judy got too tired to walk, thankfully, as her horse half was making the elftaur too big for even Barley to carry these days. Judy climbed into the back of Guinevere the Second and immediately fell asleep. Ian and Barley climbed into the front, with Ian keeping his legs together in his new kilt.

Ian took off his daisy crown and ran his fingers through his fluffy hair. “That was a fun day,” he commented as he tucked the crown into the paper bag in front of his feet.

“Same time next year?” Barley half joked as he backed the van out and drove out of the dirt parking lot.

“Oh yeah,” Ian replied, as the van made it onto the modern paved road, starting their journey back home. “I’ll even wear the kilt.”

“Cool,” Barley smiled. “Think you can wear the kilt outside of the Renn Faire?”

Ian shook his head. “Oh, no,” he chuckled with a smile.

Barley gave Ian a smirk and a sideways glance before merging onto the expressway. Today was a great day.

**Author's Note:**

> Who got that Princess Kenna was the Pretty Pretty Centaurs equivalent of Princess Merida from Brave?


End file.
